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Wednesday, February 19, 2014

She's creative, she's inspirational, and she has style to boot! She is simply amazing!

That's right, I am talking about Celina of Petit a Petit & Family. I have been lucky enough to have able to get to know her over the last few months. Not only is she just awesome at her core, but she spreads awesome everywhere. She is always willing to jump in and help out or drop some encouraging words where needed. So I wanted to give thanks!

I had big plans to sew up an awesome outfit for my kiddo based on her tutorials. But things got crazy around here. Not only did I not get my kiddo outfit sewn, but I also missed the boat for the WWCD link up. But I won't let keep me down! I already have Celina inspired projects done. Remember my Shades of Me post?

^^^ That sweater was dip dyed to give it an ombre effect. It was a last minute decision that was completely inspired by Celina. You can see Celina's tutorial for dip dyeing here. And check out how she dipped dyed some shorts for her son here! And don't forget the awesome Roly Poly Pinafore she dip dyed here.

For my sweater I just couldn't find a pink knit that I liked. So I sewed it using a cream colored sparkly knit instead. I was planning to mix three colors of dye to get a certain shade of pink I wanted, but at the last minute I literally thought of Celina. I chose to dip dye with my different pinks to create an ombre look instead.

I don't have the link ups to all the other wonderful Celina inspired posts today, but stop by Laura's blog post at Craftstorming to see the links. Laura is the brains behind WWCD? There is some awesome stuff that you are not going to want to miss!

Saturday, February 15, 2014

I am super-dee-duper exticed to be participating in this season's Sew in Tune series; a series where bloggers sew a music inspired outfit. The series is hosted by Stacey from Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy Crafts and Designs and Mellisa from Melly Sews. Each participant picks a song. I chose "My Name is Jonas" by Weezer; the first song on their self titled debut album (also referred to as "the Blue Album").

I had no luck trying to find an official music video for this song. So what do you do when you have no video to choose an outfit from to sew? You make Blue...I mean due. :)

I did find this; so at least you can have something to rock out to while you read on!

As you can see here the album cover fashion leaves much to desire. So why did I choose this song? Well, because this little guy really is named Jonas...and he really like to "make noise"! Some say this song is about the book "The Giver", who's main character was named Jonas. My little man was not named after the song or the book, but I do consider both to be EPIC!

I had to make more of an "inspired by" look. When I think of Weezer style I think preppy hipster; I think dorky; I think one of the bands that made being Nerdy totally cool! I think of common styles seen by the lead singer Rivers Cuomo; track jackets and ringer tees. So that is what I made. But I like to think I did more than just make do...I made it my own.

I started with the Charlie Tee by Fishsticks Designs. First, I made it ringer tee style. Then I designed this graphic on the front. My husband recorded Jonas saying, "My name is Jonas", then sent me an image of the sound wave. I couldn't fit the entire thing on a T-shirt, so the sound wave you see at the top of the graphic just says "Jonas". Then I took my favorite line from the song and a picture of our drumset and made them all into a cool design. In case you have a boy who might enjoy something like this, I have a free printable for you. Just print it out on a T-shirt transfer for instant awesomeness!!! (But don't forget to select the "transfer paper" setting on your printer before printing. If you don't have this setting then you can just reverse the design.

I also added a zippered welt pocket with eyelets that allow my boy to carry his Ipod in the pocket, all safely zipped inside, and still have the headphones in. He LOVES this!

Next, I carried my sound wave design down to the pants. These are made from none other than the Small Fry Skinny Jeans from Titchy Threads. If you are looking for a skinny jeans pattern this is the ONE! It is definitely one of the most comprehensive and well put together PDFs I have seen. It's A.MA.ZING, for real!

And lastly I made a track jacket designed to let this boy rock out. It has lots of hidden pockets, as well as an opening for the headphones to slip through...all while the Ipod remains securely in the T-shirt's zippered pocket :) Inside the jacket is an exclusive print Lycra blend cotton jersey that has sayings including "I love music", "I love sound", and "I love beats". I thought it was pretty fitting.

This jacket is a design I have had in my head for a while, so it was so fun to make it come to a reality!!!

Okay, enough about the clothes. Time to rock on!

Please stop by Stacey and Melissa's blogs to see all the other rockin' things sewn for this season's Sew in Tune!

Pink wouldn't generally be a color I would first gravitate to, so this was a challenge for sure! However, I found this linen fabric with a large, mostly monochromatic, floral print. This set the stage for my color palette with colors from a light rose, to fuscia, to berry wine, and ,of course, gold. Okay, I know gold isn't pink at all but a girl has got to have a little bling, right?

This dress started with a Lisette pattern. I picked it because according to the measurements it would fit nearly perfectly without alterations...hahaha, HA! Oh, that was a hopeless endeavor! Let me tell you now that it was no small task to achieve breast/abdomen separation... "Say no to the uniBLOB".

I also altered the pattern to add side pleats, make the skirt more full, adjust the sleeves, and add a full lining. It was suicide I tell ya! But I do love the end result because it is uber comfortable.

I then sewed up a Scarf Neck Cardigan from Swoon Sewing Patterns. Though this pattern really is perfectly awesome the way it is, I decided to change it up a little. I changed the bottom hem slightly, added a cuff the sleeve, and a lace panel on the back.

Check the lace, mmm hmm! Such a fun girly detail :)

Oh, and I also made the earrings to match. Ya, I am not going pink without going ALL THE WAY!

On that note, I simply couldn't resist making another Coraline Clutch. I love this pattern (also from Swoon Sewing Patterns). Again I made it in the large size. What can I say, I like big bags and I cannot lie. Bags...I said BAGS, sorry Sir Mix-a-Lot.

The blue nail polish is totally unfitting, I know. But my daughter runs a beauty salon sometimes and simply insists that I must come to get my nails painted. Who can argue with an adorable four year old?

Thank you Celina and Hayley for letting join in on this AWESOME series. I have had so much fun checking out all the neat ways the color series is being interpreted. You all must go look at all the fabulous and inspirational looks being made. And, while you're at it, here's a chance to enter the GINOURMOUS giveaway if you haven't already ;)